Monday, October 12, 2009

The Great Wayfarer Flood of 2009

[Ray Ban Wayfarers]

If I learned anything from my first collegiate homecoming it's that everybody's now wearing Ray-Ban Wayfarers. At a tailgate this past Saturday I'd venture to say that roughly 75% of those wearing sunglasses had on Wayfarers or some kind of knockoff. Don't get me wrong, I love Wayfarers and own a black pair which I wear a lot, but at some point we need to pump the breaks and switch gears. I own a few pairs of sunglasses and while there is no exact science behind picking which ones I wear out of the house, it just feels good to have options. In an effort to remedy "The Great Wayfarer Flood of 2009" I've listed some alternatives below. Note that I have left out prices for some and instead linked to eBay since you can almost always get the sunglasses you are looking for at about 40-70% off (even on a "buy it now").

Persol is probably my favorite brand of sunglasses. Italian's know their shades and the proof is in the pudding, or should I say product. Instead of getting a pair of plastic frame aviators, try something like 0649's or 0714's which take the lens shape, but add a much more unique frame style. Not to mention the silver accents on the stems are killer. McQueenwore'em. So can you.

Clubmasters just scream "old school Hollywood poolside cool". Hard to find for a while, Ray Ban's Wayfarer success has led to these badboys finding their way back into stores, onto shelves and into my heart. They have similar lenses to their Wayfarer cousins, but ditch the thick plastic frames for a much more subdued, sleeker silouhette. A must have for any serious sunglasses aficionado.

You may have seen these on Kanye at some point this year as they were the rapper's go to shades for most of the year (they were one of his men.style.com's 10 Essentials). I like Super's modern take on classic sunglasses, and the Flat Top is a cool reinterpretation of the classic Wayfarer shape. These are a little harder to find as you'll notice by the sparse eBay listings. Check their website for retailers near you.

If you weren't lucky enough to nab the Common Projcets + Moscot callaboration, the Nebb is your next best bet. Moscot have been making glasses since 1915 when they set up shop in NYC and their original models are just as fresh today as they were then.

So I guess the moral of the story is to keep your Wayfarers and wear them with pride, but somewhere along the way let's add some variety and change things up every ONCE in a while.

9 comments:

thanks for this post! I feel like the wayfarers are the new version of the faux black rimmed eye glasses that became a HUGE craze in the late nineties! It drove me nuts!!! They now have this weird connotation to them that if you are wearing these you are automatically stylish and cool. And not to say everyone isn't...but one needs to work a little harder than that... I am no fashion snob [I really am not, I will be friends with anyone - it is the personality - however I am a product/furniture snob for sure!] but it is something that really requires thought and effort...these sunglasses have made it too easy for folks! :/

Ms. Marj - Haha, you're right...it is getting too easy! Wayfarers rule, but we need to bring some individuality back to the sunglasses game. One can't just be automatically stylish (well, besides a few icons I can name...) and this post serves as a nice little reminder of that. And I am no snob either, though sometimes I catch myself and take a step back and realize that we are talking about clothes. Snobbery over THINGS is ridiculous. Let that be a lesson to all of us.

Nice glasses. I like hitting flea markets for unusual frames. Cheap and they can always be repaired cheaply as well. Put the dough to a new camera. Lived in Huntersville and Chapel Hill years ago. Learned tennis at the Country Club Duke Power had on Lake Norman. I wonder if it's still around.

Flea markets are a great place to pick up shades, though its tough to get details on things like UV protection...though some people could care less about such "prudish" characterstics. The new camera is #1 on my wish list, since what I', currently working with can no longer be tolerated...As far as your country club going on Lake Norman is concerned, I have no idea...I don't know many 22 year olds who join country clubs.

I'm a fan of persol as well. I'm currently looking to get a pair of the 2880's to make into my eyeglasses. The 649 could very well be the coolest sunglasses of all time, they make everyone look like a million. They also made Mastroianni look like a time-traveller, considering how ahead of their time they really were.

Off the subject, during the summertime when I was in college, I used to visit with family friends who lived on Lake Norman. I had the pleasure of being there for the 4th of July where everyone got out on their boats to drink and set things on fire. I also had one too many gin & tonics and flew off a jet ski. Good times.

David - Those would sure as hell be some kickass eyeglasses...you ever think about procuring a pair of Moscots instead?

As far as your off subject matter is concerned, I have actually never been to Lake Norman. Originally being from NJ, I have only lived in Charlotte for a short period of time. I hear its spectacular though (see: your post above and countless other tales) and would like to go someday soon.